The Fiend
The Fiend is a recurring character and antagonist in The Wardstone Chronicles. Biography Murder of Grimalkin's child The soon to be witch assassin Grimalkin hated the Fiend so much that she took the only means of keeping him at bay: bearing his child. Most children of the Fiend are either abhumans or witches but on extremely rare occasions are perfectly normal. Grimalkins child was normal. For few days Grimalkin took care of the child but one day the Fiend came and with a roar of rage seized the child from its beloved mother and smashed its head against a rock. Then he vanished. Grimalkin was so overwhelmed with grief. Eventually she made it her mission in life to destroy the Fiend. Grimalkin's Attack On the sabbath of Halloween, the Fiend paid a visit to the Deanes. Grimalkin was prepared. She cloaked herself in very powerful dark magic and abandoned the Malkin celebrations and set off to join the Deane festivities. The dark magic prevented the Deanes from snifiing her out. Having crafted three silver alloy blades, she charges straight at the Fiend and hurled them at him. They hurt but did not destroy him. The only reason the Fiend did not slay her on the spot was because Grimalkin bore him a child and he could only be in her presense only if she wished it. Cloaking herself again in dark magic, she set off, easily killing the vengeful assassins that the Deanes sent after her. To this day, the Deane clan still do not know who it was that did this. Summoning into the world The Pendle witches were very close to achieving their goal. They intended to raise the Fiend on Lammas (one of the four main witch sabbaths). They just needed the support of the Mouldheels who refused to play any part of it. But when Tom drives Mab Mouldheel (the leader of the Mouldheel clan) from Malkin tower, she promises him that she'll have her revenge by joining upwith the other clans to summon the Fiend. The Spook, Tom and Alice are too late. The Fiend is there before they could do anything about it.Alice tells Tom to take refuge in his Mam's room which is magically protected from even the most powerful denizens of the dark. Tom sets off for the farm immediately. After a brief run-in with Grimalkin, Tom makes it to the safety of the room. The Fiend is hot on his heels but the room is more powerful and Tom is safe..... for now Bargaining with Tom Having saved Arkwright from Morwena (an infamous water witch and the daughter of the Fiend), The Spook, Tom and Alice set off for Arkwright's mill. The Fiend is waiting for them . He uses his malevolent powers to stop time so only Tom can speak to him. He tells Tom to go out onto the marsh and face Morwena. If he fails to kill her, The Fiend will kill him, Arkright, Alice and the Spook. Tom agrees and decides to throw in one of his own rules. No matter if he succeeds in killing Morwena or not, the Fiend will release the spirits of Arkwright's parents who are bound to the mill. The Fiend agrees. Tom ventures out into the marsh and succeeds in killing Morwena but only by the help of Grimalkin. Having succeeded in slaying his daughter, The Fiend had no choice but to keep his word. He allowed the party to live and released the spirits of Arkwright's parents. Later on in the book we discover that while Tom was fighting Morwena on the marsh, The Fiend reveals to Alice the identity of her true mother and father, Bony Lizzie and himself. Reaping Tom's soul and Trickery While searching for the Ordeen within The Ord, Tom falls through a trap door and falls into a large metal basin to prevent him from escaping. Lamia witches are below and he realises that he is their food! However before the basin can be lowered to the lamias, the Fiend appears and stops time once more. He shows Tom the future, of what will happen in mere moments: The Spook, Tom, Alice and Arkwright will die and the Ordeen will slaughter everyone in Meteora and all of the refugees fleeing. To prevent this from happening, The Fiend strikes a deal with Tom. He will give Tom the precise location of the Ordeen and delay her awakening for one hour. In return he will get Tom's soul. Tom refuses at first and then thinks of the victory that could be won. He agrees. Three days later after the destruction of the Ordeen and the Deaths of Mam and Bill Arkwright, The Fiend comes for Tom's soul. He isn't in the form of Matthew Gilbert, the bargeman. He is his true self, covered in hair, malevolent eyes, horns of a gout and as tall as a giant. However before he can reap his reward, Alice awakens from her slumber and comes to Tom's aid, the blood jar in her hand. The Fiend is forced to retreat. From now on Tom and Alice must be together or the Fiend will slay Alice on the spot and take Tom's soul for any use he wishes. Physical Appearance One of the Fiend's powers is the ability to change form at will. The Fiend can become anything he chooses but in the books he is only seen using a few forms. His Fearsome Majesty This is the Fiend's prefered form. Often used when appearing during witch ceremonies. This form has the a very intimidating appearance. Being said to drive normal humans insane just be looking at him. This gives the fiend a towering figure covered with thick dark hair. The Fiend's head has two long horns and his eyes are described to be like a goat's. This is probably the Fiend's most dangerous form. The Bargeman The Fiend mostly used this form during the fifth and sixth books whenever meeting with Tom. This form is in the likeness of the bargeman, Matthew Gilbert, who was killed by the Fiend and his daughter, Morwena, in the fifth book. Others A handsome young man with curly dark hair, blue eyes & dimples. This was the form used by the Fiend when he met with Grimalkin before the birth of her child. This may have been the form which Grimalkin liked when she was young. History During the First Age of Darkness, he walked the Earth freely for nearly three centuries. However, he was banished by an unknown power. The records from this era were lost. After this, he can only visit briefly, at special times such as witches' sabbaths or when some terrible crime or evocation briefly opens the Portal to this world. Personality The Fiend is a crafty being and always has a plan on him. It seems that he dosen't like to dirty his own hands unless it's necessary. He likes to let his servants do his work for him so he can have that win-win situation by meeting with the heroes by spreading rumours and dark secrets that they have. And when also in a impossible situation it looks like The Fiend likes to give Tom a fighting chance so he can collect Tom's soul. Children The Fiend is also known for making witches bear him his children to create more darkness within the land. Usually when witches bear him his children they are usually abhumans or powerful witches with unique abilities. But sometimes the child maybe a fully fledged human that doesn't belong to the dark at all. This is very rare and only the happening ever to have been known is Grimalkin's child. Usually he will kill those who are born human, as he killed Grimalkin's child which gave her a reason to try and destroy him. It has been revealed that Alice Deane is one of the Fiend's children. Nicknames The Fiend has a variety of nicknames, which include: Father of Lies, the Devil, Old Nick, Hob, Satan and Lucifer. Powers The Fiend is the dark made flesh, and therefore has a wide range of powers available to him. He shares many of his powers with other Old Gods, but the strength and magnitude of his abilities are greatly amplified. * Enhanced Strength: The Fiend is capable of feats of tremendous strength, an ability shared with many witches. * Endurance: Being the strongest of the Old Gods, the Fiend is able to withstand enormous amounts of damage to his form. The only time he actually showed signs of agony was when his heart was pierced by two silver spears. * Teleportation: The Fiend can move instantly between two distant locations. * Telepathy: The Fiend is able to read the minds of those he confers with, as well as being able to telepathically communicate with his servants. * Shape-shifting: The Fiend is capable of altering his size and shape to fit his needs, evidenced by when he took on the form of Matthew Gilbert, the bargeman who delivers goods to Bill Arkwright. * Chronokinesis: The Fiend is capable of speeding, slowing, or halting time's passage completely. * Weather manipulation: The Fiend is capable of summoning storms in the space of seconds. His arrival is often preceded by thunder and lightning. True Form It is said that the Fiend's true form, referred to by witches as "his fearsome majesty," is so terrible that those who look upon it either die of terror or are driven insane. Very strong witches are able to view his true form, but may be made blind afterwards. It seems that seventh sons of seventh sons may be somewhat immune to the effects of his true form, as Tom Ward was able to gaze upon his true form not once but three times, first when the Fiend came for Tom's soul but was repelled by the blood jar Alice had made, the second when the Fiend came for Alice in revenge for the creation of the blood jar (although the distance Tom was from the Fiend may have lessened the horror), and the third when Tom, John Gregory, and Grimalkin bound the Fiend and removed his head. Weaknesses Powerful though he may be, the Fiend does have some weaknesses. Many of them are one time only uses. * Child-bearing: If a witch chooses to have a child with the Fiend, she can then be free of his influence for good. The Fiend expects his child to be a powerful witch or abhuman, capable of serving the dark. When the Fiend saw the perfectly human boy that Grimalkin had given birth to, he was outraged and dashed the baby's head on a rock. * Blood jar: With the use of a blood jar, the Fiend can be forced to keep his distance. A blood jar is made by placing three droops of blood, either the Fiend's or one of his children, into a sturdy jar with three drops of the blood of the person it will be used to protect. * Hobbling: Thomas Ward's mother, Lamia, was able to hobble the Fiend, or restrict his abilities. The hobbling ritual involved two hero swords crafted by the Old God Hephaestus, and the use of a powerful spell. The terms of the restrictions were that if the Fiend was to kill Thomas Ward himself, he would reign on Earth for a hundred years before being forced to return to the dark, with a hundred years being almost no time at all to an immortal. However, is the Fiend had one of his children carry out the task, or if Thomas Ward could be converted to the dark, then his reign would be endless. * Destruction: There is a ritual in existence to completely destroy the Fiend. It entails the willing sacrifice of the one most loved by the person performing the ritual. The three hero swords forged by Hephaestus must be in the possession of the ritual-performer. First, a forge must be built to generate intense heat for a fire. Then, the dagger Bone Cutter must be used to cut away the thumb bones of the right hand first, then the left, and both thumb bones cast into the fire. Lastly, the heart must be cut out with the dagger Dolorous and cast into the flames. It is of the utmost importance that the sacrificial victim not cry out in pain; if they cry out even once, the ritual becomes meaningless. It is unknown what part the Destiny Blade has to play in this ritual. Demons While it has been speculated that The Fiend is a demon this has not been confirmed and is not accurate. As the Fiend's nickname is Satan and Lucifer this would mean that he would be the leader and creator of the demons. The Ordeen would have obtained them the same way she got the Feral Lamia, which Tom's mam is the source of. Appearances * The Spook's Battle * The Spook's Mistake * The Spook's Sacrifice * The Spook's Nightmare (Referenced only) * The Spook's Stories: Witches * The Spook's Revenge * Dirty Dora * Grimalkin's Tale Category:Characters Category:Introduced in The Spook's Battle Category:The Spook's Battle Characters Category:The Spook's Mistake Characters Category:The Spook's Sacrifice Characters Category:The Spook's Nightmare Characters Category:Villains Category:Antagonists